Local leaders condemn attacks in Israel

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This article was published 07/10/2023 (742 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Both Manitoba’s premier and premier-designate denounced attacks by a Palestinian militant group on Israel Saturday.

Meantime, Jews and Palestinians in Winnipeg grappled with the shocking conflict.

“Manitoba strongly condemns the terrorist attacks against the state of Israel,” Premier Heather Stefanson said in a news release. “We stand with Israel and fully support its right to defend itself and its people against terror under international law.”

Premier-designate Wab Kinew echoed Stefanson.

“I condemn the terrorist attacks against Israel, the targeting of civilians, and affirm Israel’s right to self-defence,” Kinew said in a statement. “My hope is for a swift de-escalation of this conflict.”

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel at war with Hamas, a Palestinian militia that Canada has listed as a terrorist group.

Hamas launched an unexpected attack out of the Gaza Strip and into nearby Israeli towns. Militants fired thousands of rockets and deployed dozens of fighters Saturday, The Associated Press reported.

At least 200 Israelis were killed and a number were taken hostage; an equal number of Palestinians died during Israel’s military response to the attack, The Associated Press reported.

The rollout happened during a major Jewish holiday. It’s the deadliest attack in decades.

Netanyahu declared a mass army mobilization.

“It’s just really shocking to see this happening,” said Jeff Lieberman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. “It’s a horrible situation. So many innocent people have been killed or are injured, both Israelis and Palestinians.”

He said he’d been contacted by all three levels of Canadian government by Saturday afternoon, including Mayor Scott Gillingham, Stefanson, Kinew and Terry Duguid, MP for Winnipeg South.

“Israel is going to need help, certainly money from communities around the world,” Lieberman said, noting expenses for rebuilding and helping injured people.

He planned to meet Jewish federation leads across Canada Saturday. The Winnipeg organization may hold a vigil to pray for safety in Israel; it’s in discussions, Lieberman said.

“(This conflict is) a real problem for Manitobans,” said Haskel Greenfield, coordinator of Judaic studies at the University of Manitoba.

Many Jewish and Arabian Manitobans will worry about family members’ safety overseas, Greenfield said. He’s concerned antisemitic acts in Manitoba will spike as the turmoil across the world unfolds.

“Any extremist uses the excuse of this type of event to attack Jews,” Greenfield stated, adding he’s seen Nazi symbols in Winnipeg over the past year.

Lieberman said he’d spoken to city police Saturday but wasn’t too concerned about discriminatory acts.

The attack by Hamas seemed inevitable to Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba.

“It’s really well known that Gaza is an open-air prison,” Zeid said. “I think what’s going on is you have people that are fed up with that, and they’re fighting back now.”

Israel has kept a blockade over Gaza since Hamas took control of the land in 2007. The two entities have fought four wars since.

“It’s very unfortunate that innocent people… will be hurt,” Zeid said, adding he believes people in Gaza want to be “treated fairly and equally.”

The Palestinian association will likely hold events in response to the conflict, though “we’re hoping this doesn’t escalate anymore,” Zeid said.

He hopes world leaders can find a solution that “is good for all parties.”

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

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